On May 17, 2022, IUF affiliate BITU Chairperson Maksim Pazniakou was arrested by state authorities near his twin daughters’ kindergarten. The IUF is calling for his immediate and unconditional release from prison.
- This brazen violation of trade union rights follows the April 19, 2022 detentions of more than twenty leaders and activists of the Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions (BKDP) by the State Security Committee
- On May 13, 2022 the BKDP Council representatives had elected Maksim Pazniakou Vice President and by statute, Acting President of BKDP
- On May 16, 2022, the BKDP Council issued a public statement, signed by Maksim Pazniakou,in which once again the arrests were condemned and their commitment to continue the fight was reiterated
The Council of Global Unions has issued a new statement denouncing the repression in Belarus and demanding the right to visit the jailed trade unionists and “to send a solidarity delegation to Belarus.”
Together with our sister global unions, the IUF is co-sponsoring a new LabourStart campaign, and we are requesting once again that all members support and promote the campaign HERE!
